Published on January 1st, 2014
Ringing In The New Year In Chiang Mai
When it comes to ringing in the New Year…
Just a quick one here – to share the first few seconds of 2014 with my dear TL readers. Admittedly a less than sterling quality video, but nonetheless, at least it captures the spirit of celebrating the countdown here in Chiang Mai.
Note, the bitty gold specs wafting slowly upwards in the sky – thousands of lanterns (much like the glorious Yi Peng festival I witnessed, spell-bound last November). Folks were launching them on every street corner, and for hours ‘n hours, a stream of them floated in the skies above Chiang Mai like bitty, magical fireflies.
Also note the (rather stern?) “marching” song that played at midnight. Clearly not the usual (world-wide?) traditional “Auld Lang Syne” – so… we (the visiting mother of a New Zealand chum and I) belted out our own “Should old acquaintance be forgot…”!
3:17 pm Thai time (00.17 am NYC time) Update:
15 hrs. after my own celebration here in Thailand, I just watched the Times Square countdown and OMG – that crystal ball is AWESOME, the crowds, the confetti, John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”. Holy smokes – it all nearly brought TEARS to this wanderin’ lass’ eyes!
That settles it – my one (and ONLY) New Year’s Resolution for 2014 is this:
I SHALL be in Times Square next year to ring in 2015!
Actually, that should prove fairly easy ‘cuz… next year I’ll likely be living pretty much due south of New York – somewhere in ECUADOR. Shoot, unlike the 8,000+ miles from here in Thailand, Ecuador to NYC is less than 3,000 miles!
O.k. so who’s with me on this – who’s up for meeting me in Times Square next year to ring in 2015???
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
I too was in Chiang Mai on New Years Eve 2013/14….Fireworks all around…I rang in the New Year at Boy Blues Bar… sound of the band and then the fireworks…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK8El7Yxp6w
Sites and sounds of the street with lanterns floating all around; up up and away…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR1WIZu8BLo
ciao,
jr
Thanks for the walk-down-memory-lane John – amazing that it’s only been 5 months since I stood there gawking at the New Year’s Eve festivities in Chiang Mai (esp. since I’m now living in Ecuador which is like another PLANET comparatively!).
A most nostalgic reminder of the songthaews, the traffic, those gazillion lanterns floating up, up, and away in the night sky. Clearly we are both very lucky to have witnessed such a remarkable ringing in of 2014!
I’m very tempted! Ok, I’ve done it once before and it was a warm winter, and we got there late so we couldn’t see the stage. I think if I’m to do it again, I’m going to go all out, get there early and try to get a spot where we can see the action… I can’t commit now, but I’m going to be a tentative YES.
Whoa! My first (o.k. tentative) taker – yay!
And yes, Ching-Hua, “get there early” – uh, much like our 5 am meetup for the “10,000 monks” here in Chiang Mai, yes? Do stay tuned, I’ll soon be posting the pics of that bleary-eyed, saffron-blurred procession.
like the 10,000 monks, but colder and longer… MUCH
Yup, no doubt you’ve got THAT right! 😉
It’s COLD in Times Square on New Year’s Eve…….
If I could afford it I’d be there (well wrapped of course)
Yes Ted, it will likely be *freekin’* cold, but epic moments tend to require such drastic inconveniences.
Ditto the rubles. Save your pennies (pence?) – with any luck, we’ll see you there!